


Observation

by Mishael



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-21 22:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11954055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mishael/pseuds/Mishael
Summary: A quiet shuttle ride back to the ship is an excellent time for making observations.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [moomkin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/moomkin/gifts).



> This short fluff piece (which may have a second part) is actually a couple weeks old, but since it's taking so long for me to get things written these days, I thought others might like to enjoy.

It had been another typical, non-eventful scouting trip, and they were now on their way back to the ship. It was just the two of them back here, with the pilot and co-pilot up front, busy at the console. The late afternoon sun slanted over the forest below them as they rose above the treetops. Some of the light also found its way into the shuttle and had fallen across them.

Thrawn observed the way the golden light illuminated Ensign Vanto’s features. It caught his hair in just such a way that some of the strands in the mess of brown gave off a reddish tinge. He was due for a trim, the hair having just grown long enough to start curling at the ends. It was a pity, really. Thrawn was curious to see what Eli might look like if he could allow his hair to grow out just a bit more.

The planet had been warm. Not excruciatingly so, like some of the others they had visited, but both of them were damp with perspiration. Some of Eli’s hair clung to the back of his neck, and there was still a visible trickle of moisture gathering at his temple and rolling its way down his cheek near his ear.

The muscles of Eli’s jaw clenched and unclenched as his thoughts drifted from one thing to another. His whole body tensed whenever the shuttle swayed as it climbed through the atmosphere, working subconsciously to maintain balance. Even though his uniform covered nearly everything, Thrawn considered the other’s lithe frame with some appreciation. Eli was stronger than he gave himself credit for, and Thrawn knew he could rely on him to push himself to the limit if the situation required it.

His gaze drifted back upward, admiring the shape of Eli’s ear before following the curve of his jaw to his mouth. His lips were pressed together lightly, again a sign of the thoughts hidden behind his warm, thoughtful eyes, framed as they were by long, dark lashes. His brow was furrowed slightly, an expression he seemed to wear often. This profile view also allowed for an excellent perspective of Eli’s long, straight nose—

“Lieutenant Commander,” Eli said suddenly, interrupting Thrawn’s silent scrutiny. He did not turn his head nor even glance in Thrawn’s direction, as if he had said nothing at all. “Are you staring at me?”

“Yes.”

Ah, and there went the heat to his cheeks. Thrawn suppressed a smile at that. Eli seemed completely incapable of controlling that sort of reactionary display.

“Why?” Eli’s voice held more than a hint of exasperation, mingled with embarrassment.

“I am merely observing, Ensign Vanto.”

Eli swallowed visibly, finally shifting to look at Thrawn. “Observing what? Surely there are more fascinating things to look at than me.”

“On the contrary, Ensign,” Thrawn murmured, tilting his head and giving Eli his most sincere expression. “I find few things more fascinating.”

The intensity of the scarlet in Eli’s cheeks heightened, and this time Thrawn allowed the corner of his mouth to curl upward. 

“Sir.” It was all Eli could manage, and even then, his voice broke awkwardly as he turned his head away.

Thrawn sat back, closing his eyes in the hope that it would ease Eli’s discomfort. As it was, he had already committed every detail to memory, and for now he would just content himself to rest, knowing this incredible human sat mere inches away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, given that I had originally written this specifically for moomkin, I found myself quickly coming up with a spicier version of the first chapter--which, on its own, is sweet and innocent and could be read either with or without a shipping eye. This one, however, takes place later on in their time together (Eli is used to Thrawn's observations) and is not quite so subtle.

It had been a long and tedious mission, and they were both exhausted. Thrawn leaned back against the bulkhead, his eyes half-closed. Eli himself was slumped back with his legs stretched out in front of him, his own eyes half-lidded and staring blankly straight ahead. It was just the two of them, with the pilot and co-pilot at the front of the shuttle in the cockpit. Neither of them would have been so lax in their posture had they not been alone.

Thrawn’s gaze fell on Eli, and he watched quietly as the tilting of the shuttle cast the fading sunlight in angles across the other’s face. Eli didn’t even blink. The light caught his eyes, illuminating them, and for a moment they seemed to glow just as Thrawn’s did naturally. Thrawn stared, temporarily mesmerized.

Eli’s chest rose as he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly through his nose in a quiet huff. The action was purely automatic, as nothing else in his expression changed, although he did blink slowly at last. His lips were parted slightly, and Thrawn again caught himself staring. There was some color in Eli’s cheeks, but it was merely the remaining effects of an extended day’s walking in the sun. The hair around his face clung to the skin with tiny beads of perspiration, and his neck glistened with it.

With another more forceful sigh, Eli reached up, digging his fingers beneath his collar in a vain attempt to loosen the fabric there, or at least to let out some of the heat that had built up under his uniform. Then his hand moved again, swiftly pulling his cap off his head so he could run his fingers through his hair. Thrawn pressed his lips together as he watched. It fascinated him that for some humans, time out in the sun could change the color of their hair. Eli’s looked as if his hair had been brushed lightly with sunshine. It took every effort to keep his hands clasped in his lap and not reach out to rub some of it between his fingers.

Closing his eyes, Eli leaned his head back. The bottom strands of hair brushed the top of his collar, and his throat was now fully exposed. Thrawn’s eyes narrowed.

“Sir?”

“Yes?”

“Are you staring at me?”

Thrawn rolled his shoulders and settled back more comfortably, crossing his legs and folding his hands over his knee. “I am.”

One of Eli’s eyes cracked open, and he glanced sideways at Thrawn.

There was mischievousness in that look this time, not embarrassment. He stretched leisurely, reaching high above his head even as his boots scraped across the floor. Then he ran a hand through his hair again, pushing it away from his forehead.

Well. Two could play at that game.

“And if we were alone, Vanto,” Thrawn continued, his voice low and sultry as he switched to Sy Bisti, even though the pilots were out of hearing range, “I would cross the space between us before you could take your next breath, and I would cover your mouth with mine until you were left gasping for air.” He could see Eli swallow at the description and held back the grin that was threatening to reveal itself. Keeping his voice calm and even, as if he were merely discussing the weather, he pressed on. “Then I would help you escape that heavy uniform, slowly pulling it back as my fingers brush along your neck, across your collar bone, down your chest...” His fingers twitched briefly as he spoke, and he watched with delight as Eli’s heat response was triggered. It was not limited to his face, either. “I know we walked quite a few miles today, over varied terrain. No doubt your feet must be sore. I would gladly kneel in front of you and carefully work off each boot, massaging your feet and your calves until the aches and tension of the day drain away. And while I’m there—”

“Sir!” Eli broke in, nearly panting the word. His eyes were squeezed shut as he tried desperately to maintain control. He straightened up, shifting and crossing his own legs as he turned his face away, the color much deeper now than it had been before. “We are not actually alone.”

Thrawn allowed the grin to pull at the corner of his mouth at last. “No,” he conceded, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back again, reveling in the knowledge of Eli’s response, completely unhidden from him. “Not yet.”


End file.
